Women comprise a minority of executive and C-Suite positions in the hospitality industry, as Peggy Berg, founder of the Castell Project, shared with Hcareers. Nevertheless, these leadership positions are accessible to women as many hotel companies – both publicly traded and independent – include women among their top ranks.

Here, Hcareers features a sampling of several women who are decision-makers at their respective companies, who have achieved success through myriad career paths, and whose diverse business acumen epitomizes the various areas of the industry that are open to women.

These are 4 female hospitality leaders to pay attention to if you are interested in making it to the top one day!

1. Kimberly Furlong, SVP Revenue Strategies at Atrium Hospitality. In her current role, Kimberly develops sales and revenue management platforms and oversees revenue generation and marketing strategies across all operating departments. Prior to her current role, she spent three years at the Proccancianti Group as Vice President of Revenue Management and held several executive and senior revenue management, sales, and marketing positions with Hersha Hospitality and Lodigan, Inc. She is a member of the Marriott Distribution Strategy Advisory Council, and Hilton’s All Suites Task Force, and is the Chair of the IHG Owners Association, Distribution, and Digital committee. Read more about Kimberly and Atrium here.
2. Sheila Johnson, Founder, and CEO of Salamander Hotels. Sheila entered the hospitality industry when she purchased 340 acres in Middleburg, VA which became the site of the Salamander Resort & Spa. She now oversees an extensive portfolio of luxury properties. Sheila was recently inducted into Hospitality Design’s Platinum Circle Hall of Fame and named CEO of the Year 2022 by Washington Business Journal. Prior to the hospitality industry, Sheila was an accomplished violinist with the Chicago Civic Symphony and co-founded Black Entertainment Television, and she holds stakes in three professional sports teams. Learn more about Salamander here.
3. Michelle Marlowe, SVP of Accounting at Island Hospitality Management. Prior to her current position, Michelle began in the construction industry as a general contractor at the Weitz Company and then as a Division Controller for K. Hovanian Homes. She then worked as the corporate controller handling all accounting functions at WG Compass Realty, and then switched to the hospitality industry at Chatham Lodging Trust as a Vice President, where she handled all day-to-day accounting functions such as annual audits, quarterly reviews, and SEC filings. Learn more about Michelle and Island Hospitality here.
4. Thelma Rockhold, Chief People Officer at Sage Hospitality. In her current role, she works to drive alignment, understanding, and adoption of organizational systems, practices, and processes and partners with leaders of talent acquisition, development, and compensation. Before joining Sage, Thelma was Vice President of Organization Development and Talent Acquisition, and prior to that, she was Vice President of Corporate Human Resources at Chiquita Brands International for 15 years. Thelma holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources and is a Society of Human Resources Management Senior Certified Professional. Learn more about Thelma and Sage Hospitality here.